Planning an Accessible EventFrequently Asked Questions

All events that take place on the California State University, Fresno campus must
be accessible to eligible persons with disabilities. Also, adequate notice must be
given so that eligible persons can make their accommodation needs known in a timely
manner.

How much notice does a participant with a disability have to provide to be entitled
to an accommodation?

There is no "cutoff" point after which the event sponsor has no obligation to provide
an accommodation due to short notice. An event sponsor is required to make a good
faith effort to timely provide an appropriate accommodation upon request. What is
considered a reasonable accommodation depends in part with the amount of time to secure
the accommodation the event sponsor has been given. At the earliest stages of planning
an event, a sponsor should consider how the organization intends to respond upon receiving
a request for commonly requested accommodations, e.g., interpreters, captioning, wheelchair
access, etc. On the other hand, requests for accommodation made only a few days before
an event may mean that no qualified interpreters/captioners are available. Whenever
an event sponsor becomes aware that the organization is going to be unable, for any
reason, to satisfactorily respond to a request for accommodation to a University event,
the event sponsor should immediately notify the Department of Human Resources at (559)
278-2032.

We haven't received any accommodation requests yet for our event. Am I legally required
to provide an accommodation (e.g., interpreters, wheelchair access, etc.) in the absence
of a request from a specific individual with a disability?

Although in general the duty to be accessible is triggered by an actual person with
a disability making a request for accommodation, the larger the number of folks expected
to attend an event, the stronger the legal presumption that the event sponsor has
planned in advance upon the possibility that such a request will be received and there
is an expectation that the sponsor is "ready to go" when such a request for accommodation
is received, even on short notice. It is therefore especially important that, even
before an actual request for accommodation from an individual is received, the sponsor
of a University event develop a plan for how to provide accommodations (e.g., to someone
who is Deaf) with respect to an event held in one of the campuses large facilities.
Thus, whenever possible public events should not be scheduled at a location that is
not wheelchair accessible. Please note that public events scheduled to be held in
facilities that are not wheelchair accessible are required to have an alternate wheelchair
accessible location in mind should a request for wheelchair access be made.

If I need a sign language interpreter where do I go to get one?

For questions and assistance with issues related to Deaf & hard of hearing services:

To request a sign language interpreter or real time captionist for your on-campus
event ( at least 5 days in advance) use the on-line “Campus Request Form for Interpreter-Captioner”
form located on the Campus Accessibility website New form link here Charge back cost
for an interpreter is $45/hr. If event is over 1-hour, two interpreters will be required
to team. RTC is $60/hr.

Should I just go ahead and book ASL interpreters for my event? Better safe than sorry,
right?

Individuals who are Deaf or have other hearing impairments (i.e., hard-of-hearing,
oral) may need a different kind of accommodation Not all Deaf persons are fluent in
sign language, so it cannot be assumed that simply providing an American Sign Language
interpreter will be an appropriate accommodation for everyone. Therefore, there are
many reasons that knowledgeable sponsors wait to actually receive a request for accommodation
before committing to a specific approach to accommodation. Specifically, many in the
disability community look with disfavor on generically just having sign language interpreters
hired to sign to an "empty seat" if no Deaf individuals have indicated they plan to
attend. In addition, hiring interpreters when there may not be Deaf people in attendance
can end up tying up a scarce resource (interpreters) and keeping others from engaging
interpreters in situations where a Deaf person actually will be in attendance. In
the absence of a specific request, it may be more effective to secure real-time captioning
for your event. If you end up making accommodation arrangements without a request
from an individual with a disability, take extra steps to let those in the Fresno
State and local Deaf communities know that this accommodation is definitely being
offered. In this way, they may be more encouraged to attend, and you will have made
the most of the accommodation resource.

Who pays the cost of disability accommodations at extra-curricular events?

The sponsoring department, unit, or organization of an event pays the expense of an
accommodation necessary for any participant with a disability to attend (just as the
sponsor bears all the other costs related to putting on the event).

What is the responsibility of the Services for Students with Disabilities in event
planning?

The Services for Students with Disabilities Program (SSD) is funded to provide (and
pay for) accommodations to enable students with disabilities to access their academic
program. Due to its expertise acquired in the foregoing service, SSD is often asked
for advice and assistance by other campus departments/units and student organizations
when they receive a request for accommodation from an event participant with a disability.

SSD is limited to providing "technical assistance" to sponsors of events who have
been asked to provide a requested accommodation (e.g., many event sponsors don't know
how to arrange for a captioner or sign language interpreter at events they are putting
on). There is no charge for this technical assistance. However, please keep in mind
that the cost of the actual accommodation is billed to the event sponsor. In other
words, the cost of accommodating participants with disabilities is simply one of the
many costs of putting on an event, such as renting a room, obtaining video/technology,
printing promotional materials, and paying for a food caterer.

The ultimate responsibility for ensuring that event participants with disabilities
are appropriately and timely accommodated always rests with the event sponsor. SSD
is simply a valuable resource to assist the event sponsor in fulfilling its responsibility.